School committee might not accept Pandiscio’s resignation

Vote postponed until Sept. 10

By L. L. Lehans

REGION – “I do not and will not accept Thomas Pandiscio’s resignation,” Wachusett Regional School District Committee member Norman Plourde of Sterling said Monday night. “We will have to search for a new superintendent… but not today and not tomorrow. I call on the other school committee members to not accept [his] resignation, either.”

Pandiscio announced on Aug. 13 that he would resign, citing his reluctance to continue working through the “minefield” of criticism from some school committee members who challenge his work following the firing of the district business manager. Pandiscio’s contract, which expires June 30, 2014, requires 90 days’ notice should he resign.

Business manager Peter Brennan was dismissed by the school committee on July 23 “for failure to perform his duties as the district’s chief financial officer in a satisfactory manner. Specifically, he failed to forecast growth in the health insurance budget in an adequate manner [for FY13, by $1.5 million]… and ignored the district’s standard practice of using spending history to predict future expense and instead relied on the previous year’s budget to make his prediction.” He also “left the FY12 budget out of balance [by $1.2 million] by utilizing a faulty spreadsheet of his creation to guide district spending.”

Executive session minutes of that July 23 meeting were released Monday, showing that Brennan was also terminated for “job abandonment.” His last day in the office was June 13; he declined the invitation (by law) to attend the executive session when his dismissal was discussed, with or without benefit of legal counsel.

“His mistakes are intolerable and could have been easily avoided,” Pandiscio wrote the school committee. “While I do not believe that I am the cause of these problems, I am responsible for them as they occurred on my watch. I am not responsible in a legal sense and I do not believe that you have grounds to terminate me, but people will soon be calling for my head, if they haven’t already.”

“Your business manager screwed up, left, and I’m left” trying to fix the financial problems left in Brennan’s wake,” he said Monday.

He and school committee members Julianne Kelley of Rutland and Stacey Jackson of Holden briefly traded sharp remarks. He termed Kelley an obstructionist as she charged that Pandiscio’s transfer of line item funds after the June 30 end of the fiscal year is illegal according to the Department of Revenue, and he countered that it was standard practice every August in the Wachusett as well as Quabbin, Middlesex and other regional school districts, according to the Department of Education.

Pandiscio said the $177,000 FY year-end deficit would be offset by about $97,000 in transportation monies from Princeton and school choice funds.

“In the end of the day, we’re fractionalizing our community for $78,000,” he said. “You people are going to have to run a school district… God bless you and enjoy your day.”

He said the worst-case scenario, after they get a ruling about the differing DOE and DOR opinions about the line transfers, is that they would have to carry the full $177,000 to the $79 million FY13 budget.

“I said to the school committee,’you will turn on me,’” Pandiscio said. “I’m the one with the 28-year career that got trashed. What I want to know is where is the intent on this committee to move the district forward, when instead” he said certain members were criticizing the legitimacy of his fiscal plan to balance the budget despite it being approved by auditors and the state Department of Education.

Jackson had questions about discrepancies in certain line items, which Pandiscio said he could not answer Monday, but would check with district business office.

“They are legitimate questions and we will get clarification,” said WRSDC chair Duncan Leith. “Dr. Pandiscio said he will get information from the bookkeepers.”

“We’re in trouble… and this isn’t helping,” said Paxton WRSDC member Robert Pelczarski.

“There is no legal option for what we’re doing,” said Kelley, who said she spoke that day with an attorney at the Department of Revenue. “We’re in, like, significant trouble.”

“The mitigation of the [budget deficit] has been certified by the auditors and the Department of Education,” Pandiscio said. “I don’t believe you’re any way outside the law – we’re getting different information from the DOE and the DOR… we’re not in trouble… forget the rhetoric.”

“The DOR says it’s illegal,” said Kelley.

“That’s 100 percent false,” said Pandiscio. “You’ve done that every year you’ve been a regional school system. We have always done transfers in August.”

The committee voted to delay approving the transfers until it receives clarification from the two state agencies.

Pelczarski asked his fellow members not to accept Pandiscio’s resignation.

Rutland member Colleen Cipro said there’s no way in a near-$80 million budget that there isn’t the need at the end of the fiscal year to transfer some money within categories to close out the accounts.

“We can go ‘round and ‘round until 2 a.m. on this,” said Rutland member Athos Tsongalis. “Let’s move on.”

At the close of the meeting, Plourde made his motion not to accept Pandiscio’s resignation, saying it comes at a most inopportune time. He noted that they are entering into teacher negotiations at a serious time for the district, and they rely on Pandiscio’s skills as their contract negotiator during collective bargaining.

“A superintendent search is out of the question at this time… the timing is wrong,” Plourde said, as well as the district not being able to afford the cost of the search, while also searching for and hiring a new business manager.

“The district needs the leadership of Superintendent Tom Pandiscio,” Plourde said. “The public outrage [over the accounting errors] is not going to solve our problem. What happened was most unfortunate… it can be solved.”

He asked for a vote of confidence for Pandiscio, and that he stay to the end of his contract.

Holden member Cynthia Bazinet said the behavior of some WRSDC members has led people to believe that the school committee can no longer function. She called the WRSDC members’ behavior “shockingly unethical” (see story on page ), and their accusations “unsubstantiated…. All of this is nonsense.”

She said she believes it is in the best interest of the students, staff and community that Pandiscio remain in his position for the duration of his contract.

“We’re facing a vacuum of our top leadership,” said Holden member Steven Hammond. “I believe there will be a bigger vacuum caused by his leaving – it would be catastrophic.”

He said they need Pandiscio to direct the opening of schools, assist in the hiring of a new business manager, and work with the auditors to help everyone understand how the district accounts should be managed.

“He has done a tremendous amount for this district… we need his skills. We need his leadership now,” Hammond said.

“I would only agree with the part that this is nonsense,” said Jackson. She said when members question Pandiscio’s handling of the budget, they are criticized and belittled by him. She requested a disciplinary hearing against the superintendent.

Several members called for action on Plourde’s vote of confidence motion, while others noted that five of the 20 members were absent Monday night, and such a vote deserved full committee consideration.

The motion failed, which means it can be reconsidered at the committee’s next meeting, on Sept. 10.